Reviewed on Mediatron!

10/28/2006
The Silent Years and Paleo @ South Union Arts Center
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Oct. 31st - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Cup of Coffee from Kristoffer's Cafe / Coca-Cola Classic Soft Drink (20 oz.) / Marlboro Blend 27 Cigarettes (Hardpack) from Citgo/Snappy Convenience Center ($7.25) ]

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UPS Shipping For My Broken Camera

Item Purchased: UPS Shipping For My Broken Camera
Location Purchased: Barbara's Bookstore / 1218 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.55

Review: Someone stole the back wheel from my bicycle yesterday. As if that weren't enough, I pulled my digital camera out of my backpack, then out of it's soft protective camera case, then opened the viewscreen (sometimes I leave it open, but today I did the right thing after taking a picture in the alley next to my house and closed it) to find a pleasantly crisp vertical crack. Switching the camera on, I wondered ""when the hell did I take that picture of a leaf?" A few seconds later, I realize that that's no leaf, but a beautifully shaped puddle of leaked liquid crystal.

I spent a few minutes wondering what possibly could have happened during the leisurely fifteen minute walk from home to work that would rupture a LCD screen that is a) closed and b) inside of a protective camera case. I couldn't come up with any explanation. Properly pissed at the situation, I went to Canon's website and filled out a repair claim for the damage. Packing the camera with enough bubble wrap to save a Faberge egg from a base jump gone awry, I used the UPS account at my place of work to ship the camera off.

This shipping service is reserved for customers who have bought books from us and would like us to ship a gift to someone. It is a flat rate fee with an extra charge per extra item. Fortunately, I am an employee of my place of work (that'd be weird if I wasn't, huh?) and am able to stretch these rules a bit. The company actually made money off of me, since the flat rate is put in place to cover our shipping costs and the labor-intensive packaging of the items.

Our UPS delivery people have always been friendly and will sometimes share a smoke with me while I help load/unload their truck with them so I have no problem trusting them to treat my camera with the utmost respect and care. I'm not sure about the rest of the UPS employees who I don't know, but that's the chance you take in this life. Packages are always shipped quickly and the tracking service on UPS' website is quite handy and accurate.

As for Canon, the online repair claim stated that my camera still falls under the manufacturer's warranty and that the repair would cost me nothing. I am skeptical. I have no way to prove that I didn't damage the camera myself and cosmetic damages such as a cracked view screen doesn't seem to be covered under the warranty. I wouldn't mind paying for a repair I caused the need for, but I swear on everything that any of you swear on that this damage could not have been caused by me. A gentle jostling in my backpack is not enough to crack plastic. I wasn't participating in any kind of Parkour activities on the way to work, but (oddly enough) Occam's razor will suggest that I was.

We will see what Canon has to say.

In the meantime, it's stock photography or scanned sketches of my purchases.

Hopefully, my mother's superstition is wrong and bad happenings don't come in threes.

Rating: 4 / 5

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Oct. 30th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Medium Dunkin' Donuts Coffee (Cream & Sugar) from Dunkin' Donuts / Small Daybreak Coffee from Caribou ($1.55) / Pepper Steak Lunch Combo from Joy Yee ]

Note: A couple of things. First of all, I miss the Dunkin' Donuts by my old apartment. One of the women who works there would always greet me with a smile and have my regular ready for me. Sometimes we would chat a bit about what we did over the weekend. Other times, it was a smile and a nod. Today, at this other Dunkin' Donuts on Archer, it was nothing more than a stiff lip and a weak coffee. I suppose we may just need a period of adjustment, but these little things matter to me. The woman doesn't have to be nice to me or go out of her way. That isn't part of her job. Just like it's not my job to be nice to her. I simply prefer to be. We're all in this together, so why not try and get to know each other? Even if it is only a few seconds over a cup of coffee and a monetary transaction. Every little bit counts.

Secondly, it seems that Caribou has followed Starbucks' lead and raised all of their prices by $0.05. Sigh... it's not competition if you stay in the shadows and mimic everything they do, Caribou! Luckily, my friendly baristas are still there.

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To Be Reviewed on Mediatron

Item Purchased: LIVE: Girlie-Q Variety Hour Burlesque Show
Location Purchased: Hothouse / 31 E. Balbo / Chicago, IL
Price: $10.00

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El Ranchero Tortilla Chips w/salt (14 oz. bag)

Item Purchased: El Ranchero Tortilla Chips w/salt (14 oz. bag)
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 3033 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.99 + tax

Review: Every apartment I live in has always had a few kitchen staples that everyone is responsible for. In my last apartment, it was a cube of PBR or Old Style. If anyone drank the last one, it was their mission to replace it. It seems that my current roommate and I have silently settled on El Ranchero Tortilla Chips and Herdez salsa as our staples. Not a bad decision, if you ask me.

Chicago's south side has several tortilla manufacturers. The two easiest to find at your local grocery are Del Rey brand and El Ranchero. Del Rey are alright if you like the bland Mexican restaurant complimentary chip flavor. For substantial crunch, flavor and dipping strength, however, one must reach for El Ranchero. In my poorer days living alone in a dollhouse sized studio apartment in the Gold Coast, I used to make entire meals out of these chips, a jar of salsa and some cheese. Sometimes (for old time's sake) I still do.

Made with pure corn oil, a little bit of salt and not much else, these corn tortilla chips are the purest you can find and several times more addicting than the salt-drenched slop brands that need to take out multi-million dollar advertisements to tell you how addicting they are.

Tasty and local! Sign me up!

Rating: 4.75 / 5

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Herdez Medium Salsa Casera (16 oz.)

Item Purchased: Herdez Medium Salsa Casera (16 oz.)
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 3033 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.95 + tax

Review: This salsa is not only one of the most affordable standard salsas on the major supermarkets' shelves here in Chicago, but it is also one of the best. I know people who swear by Frontera and other five dollar jars of tomato sauce and spices, but for my dollar, Herdez is where it is at.

Though the medium salsa Casera is spicy enough to make anyone's tongue tingle, I would very much like to find the spicy flavor, which only seems to pop up every once in a while at the Dominick's where my roommate and I usually stock up on this stuff.

I'm not too sure how I feel about Herdez being owned by Hormel, but I haven't read any direct complaints about the Herdez company as of yet.

Rating: 4 / 5

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2 Jewel Brand Red Beans (15 oz. can)

Item Purchased: 2 Jewel Brand Red Beans (15 oz. can)
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 3033 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.72/ea. + tax

Review: Maybe I have just been pampered since my last apartment was two blocks away from the Mecca of Jewel grocery stores, but this location's selection is pretty pitiful. It's not that I'm a picky eater... Especially when it comes to canned legumes, but I do try to avoid store-brand items most of the time.

These red beans aren't exactly bad, but relative to other canned red beans, these are some of the worst I've tried. They have the consistency of cardboard (even after cooking them) and are canned in the typical formaldehyde-scented water that most canned vegetables are preserved in. Good thing I am mixing these with edamame, black beans (Goya brand), rice and bunches of spices.

I happened to be in the area of this Jewel (probably the only one in the city without a TCF teller station, btw. so I couldn't even make the bank deposit I needed to), but me thinks the equidistant trip to Dominick's is the better choice.

Rating: 2.25 / 5

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Smucker's Natural Chunky Peanut Butter (16 oz. jar)

Item Purchased: Smucker's Natural Chunky Peanut Butter (16 oz. jar)
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 3033 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.83 + tax

Review: Less expensive than the O organics peanut butter I bought last week, but not better. Most natural peanut butters are carefully balanced with peanut oil and peanut... Flesh?... That after stirring it together once and refrigerating it, it becomes a creamy consistency that is easy to spread from day one until the entire jar is gone. Smucker's starts out this way, but by the time you get to the last 1/3 of the jar, you are left with a thick flaky paste that falls off of your toast and sticks in your throat. This peanut butter is still a universe ahead of that peanut flavored sugar that lines the grocery aisles, but it is no testament to Jewel that this is the best alternative they have to offer.

Rating: 3 / 5

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Riceland Extra Long Grain Natural Brown Rice (32 oz. bag)

Item Purchased: Riceland Extra Long Grain Natural Brown Rice (32 oz. bag)
Location Purchased: Jewel / 3033 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.75 + tax

Review: I'm sorry, but I truly can't tell the difference between riceland brown rice and the Dominick's brand brown rice I bought last week. My initial conspiracy-theory skepticism leads me to believe that all low-end brown rice is processed in the same plant and packaged differently. I know this probably isn't true, but since I can't tell the difference, I am led to resort to the laziest of consumer habits when buying non-organic brown rice: buy the cheapest bag on the shelf.

At a few cents cheaper, Riceland wins. Nuff said. Now I need to go make my lunch for the next week.

Rating: 4 / 5

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Reviewed On Mediatron Today!

Reviewed on Mediatron

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To Be Reviewed On Mediatron

Item Purchased: LIVE: Silent Years & Paleo
Location Purchased: South Union Arts Center / 1352 S. Union St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $10.00

Item Purchased: CD: Paleo - Misery, Missouri
Location Purchased: From the hands of the musician
Price: $10.00

Item Purchased: CD: The Silent Years - The Silent Years
Location Purchased: From the hands of Pat, the bassist
Price: $5.00 (I got it half-price due to the band's set being cut short by SUA's sound system sickness)

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Oct 28th - Unreviewable Purchases

Purchased for my girlfriend:

[ Glass of Chardonnay from Pint ($6.00) ]

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Oct. 28th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ 2 Goya Black Beans (15.5 oz. can) from Jewel ($0.89/ea.) / 2 Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack) / Smithwick's Irish Ale (1 pint) from Pint ($5.50!!!!!!!) ]

Note: I lost one pack of cigarettes on a cold bike ride (kick in the nuts, part one), so I had to buy another one. Then I lost my bicycle wheel to a spineless prowling thief (kick in the nuts, part two)! To top it off, I bought a pint of Smithwick's for far too much and it tasted like it was water down (kick in the nuts, part three!).

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Oct. 27th - Weekly Buy Nothing Day

When I start to suffer from writer's block (which is just an excuse, so you know), I have a very simple method that I use to reconnect with my creative self (oh god, I sound like Sylvia Brown).

What I do is go out to a general goods store and buy two things. The first is a pack of crayons. I make it a point to purchase the box of crayons with the least number of colors in it. This imposes a very strict set of limits on my creativity. Next, I buy a children's coloring book. Then, I go home and color.

As I am seemingly reverting to a more innocent stage of my creative self, a few things happen. First, I am stuck with thick bold lines and primary colors. We were all taught at some point to stay within those lines and use solid colors. These are the fundamentals of most American creativity (at least within the typical middle-class 80's househould). What happens next is that I very quickly grow bored of staying within the lines or using solid colors. Soon, I begin to blend colors and use the black crayon to expand and alter the existing lines in the coloring book. Such strict limits will cause a person to break free, walk away or submit. I have always been of the break free mindset.

Soon I am coloring on the cover of the book, writing poems or treatises in the margins and otherwise seeing how far I can push the medium of coloring book and crayon. Shortly, I realize the similarities between my writing. Writer's block is nothing more than falling into a pattern and refusing to reform, rework or transcend your creative boundaries. Soon, I toss the coloring book aside and return to my creative processes with new vigor and fresh ideas.

I posit that habitual shopping and consumerism is a form of writer's block that we all suffer from. Instead of finding more exciting, interesting or beneficial ways of running our lives, we fall back on patterns. My weekly Buy Nothing Days are the coloring book and crayon solution to this. I return to the childlike state where purchasing and shopping were unknown to me. Everything I needed was available to me. Fun was outside or in the head. I didn't need to buy a new record to validate my weekend. There are limits, though, and these Buy Nothing Days give me an opportunity to think about how to rework them without spending money. It is a fiscal, social and personal exercise.

We all need exercise. We all need to color our lives every once in a while. Why not try reworking your habits for one day, whether it is your consumerism, your diet or your relationships.

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From the Bad Holiday Gift Ideas department (part 1):

British store chain, Tesco, has removed this questionable item from the toys and games section of their website. The Peekaboo Pole Dancing Kit has been condemned by family campaigners as being "extremely dangerous" and accused of "destroying children's innocence."

The kit comes with a chrome pole extendible to 8ft 6ins, a 'sexy dance garter,' a DVD demonstrating suggestive dance moves as well as play money.

Dr. Adrian Rogers of Family Focus said that this item would be "sold to four, five and six-year olds" which I find hard to believe. He also went on to say that "Children are being encouraged to dance round a pole which is interpreted in the adult world as a phallic symbol." Yes... in the mind of the people who are destroying children's innocence it is. Sometimes a pole is just a pole, Ade!

It's good to know that pole dancing ranks up there with war, poverty and child abuse, but in all honesty, this item is not usually marketed toward children. Tesco is the one at fault here for putting this item in their website's toy section rather than a separate adult section.

Besides, I'm sick of all of this growing up too fast stuff! Remember what it was like in the old days when we first gave little girls a complex by providing them with plastic misrepresentations of what a woman should look like? Many girls had several of these plastic women, all with a different miniature jewel-encrusted necklace or name brand purse. Later in life, these women would undergo plastic surgery, then turn to stripping... Sometimes without a pole at all! Really Tesco! Slow down! Sexuality and low self esteem combines to form a delicate mixture that requires patience to achieve the desired result. It's like a fine marinade, actually. You can't rush these things with pink packaging and Monopoly dollars!

(Daily Mail via Marc-Anthony's Livejournal)

Stay tuned for more Bad Holiday Gift Ideas as the season approaches! If you hear of any, let me know of them in the forum.

From the Made In coughlatincough America department:

Our great and powerful leader here in the U.S. signed a bill that authorizes the building of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Social implications aside, what does this mean to consumers? Well, at the very least, now the Mexican labor that goes into creating so many of our consumer goods will actually be done in Mexico.

A 700 mile fence. How long is the border again?

(Think Progress)

Oct. 26th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Camel Turkish Gold Cigarettes (Hardpack) from 7-Eleven ($7.87) / Oatmeal & Raisin Cookie from Caribou Coffee / Glaceau Vitamin Water Multi-V (20 oz.) from 7-Eleven ]

Note: I'm not sure if it is my tastes or the production of these cigarettes that have changed, but I seem to like them more. Maybe I am smoking less and have regained some of my nasal sensitivity. More likely, I have just been smoking far too many Camel Lights lately. Regardless, the rating on these smokes has just gone up from mildly unpleasant to slightly pleasant.

Oct 25th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Coca-Cola Classic Soft Drink (20 oz.) / Small Caribou-Blend Coffee from Caribou Coffee ($1.50) ]

Note: I know it's been bland around here lately, but bear with me. I've been taking my lunch to work and saving money. Fear not! I've got some ideas and projects under way as well as a slew of Mediatron reviews in the works.

Oct. 24th - Unreviewable Purchases

Purchased (under workplace duress) for Larry:

[ Pork Chop Sandwich from Jim's Original ($2.75) ]

Oct. 24th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Small Obsidian Coffee from Caribou Coffee / Peanut Butter Cookie from Caribou / Polish Sausage w/Fries from Jim's Original ]

To Be Reviewed On Mediatron

Item Purchased: CD: Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Location Purchased: Reckless Records / 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.99 + tax (used copy)









Item Purchased: LP: A Hawk And A Hacksaw - The Way The Wind Blows
Location Purchased: Reckless Records / 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $14.99 + tax

Oct. 23rd - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Coffee from Earwax Cafe ]

Vanilla Malt from Potbelly Sandwich Works

Item Purchased: Vanilla Malt from Potbelly Sandwich Works
Location Purchased: Potbelly Sandwich Works / 190 N. State St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.69 + tax

Review: Wow! My girlfriend takes me out to see King Lear and all I can do in return is take her out to Potbelly Sandwich Works for a pre-theatre dinner. What kind of horrible boyfriend am I? I'm the kind of boyfriend who worked every day this weekend and was going to take his girlfriend out to Petterino's only to find that they were too busy to accomodate us. So, Potbelly's it was!

I wasn't too hungry and (to be honest) was already gassy from what I had eaten earlier in the day. I didn't want to push it with a 3.5 hour live theatre production ahead of me so I decided to just get something to drink. Unfortunately for the audience members near me, I can't resist a triple-thick malt from Potbelly's. Hell, being in Chicago, the birthplace of both malted milk and malted milkshakes, I can't resist a malt at all. Potbelly's, however, makes malts and shakes so thick you could eat them with your fingers like they were jars of peanut butter. There is just something about real ice cream with a little bit of liquidity and a lot of flavor challenging me to resist that makes me... well... fail...

Of any chain restaurant (national or local) Potbelly's makes the thickest and tastiest I have ever had. Real ice cream instead of the soft server yogurt you get most other places turns this inexpensive after-dinner exercise into a delight. Thickness and supreme malty flavor makes it essential.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Oct. 22nd - Unreviewable Purchases

Purchased for my girlfriend:

[ Vegetarian Sandwich from Potbelly Sandwich Works ($3.89) / Orangiana Drink from Potbelly Sandwich Works ($1.29) / Glass of Pinot Grigio from The Goodman Theater ($6.00) / Chocolate Chip Cookie from The Goodman Theater ($3.00) ]

Oct. 22nd - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack) from Citgo/Snappy Convenience Center ($6.85) ]

Safeway Reusable Food Containers (4 ct. - 32 oz. ea.)

Item Purchased: Safeway Reusable Food Containers (4 ct. - 32 oz. ea.)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.00 + tax

Review: These containers are more stable and solid than the flimsy clunch containers I once bought (and have since lost) from Jewel. Despite the sturdiness and the roominess for the rice and beans I prepared, these containers have a bit of a problem sealing shut. The lids are just as stable as the container, and therein lies the problem. Lids for plastic containers need to possess a bit of give in order to allow the burping of excess air inside as well as the elastic grip of the lip of the container. When I got to work today, I found that one corner of my rice and beans was spilling due to the stiff stubborness of the all-too-well made space age wonder material we know as plastic. Hopefully after a few uses and washes, these containers will come into their own and keep my food fresh so I don't have to buy another set. If I wanted disposable containers, I'd use a couple of paper plates and some masking tape.

It seems that hanging on to those Joy Yee takeout containers was a great idea.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Safeway Select Cotton Swabs (500 ct.)

Item Purchased: Safeway Select Cotton Swabs (500 ct.)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.00 + tax

Review: Once when I was a teenager, I had to leave school because my ears hurt. When I went to the doctor, he told me that I had severe wax buildup in my ears. After flushing my ears out with a giant-sized silver saline squirt gun and letting me examine the marble-sized chunks of black earwax that came out, doc told me that I should stop using Q-Tips and let nature take care of my ears. A few months later, I had to go to the doctor again for the same kind of buildup of wax. This time, after flushing my ears out and sparing me the sight of the wax-clumps, the very same doctor told me that I should be using Q-Tips. Thus began my distrust of doctors.

From that day forth, I used cotton swabs in moderation, digging around in my aural canals only when it felt as if all that was missing was a wick to light. Ever since listening to my body and its demands, I haven't had any more wax-related ear aches. I've also since learned that Q-Tips aren't the best cotton swabs out there. Usually too fluffy, Q-Tips end up getting stuck in my ears. Other name brand cotton swabs succeed only in stabbing the hell out of my inner ears. I find that the generic store brand of cotton swabs have just the right amount of fluff to aid in wax retrieval. Dominick's Safeway brand cotton swabs are no different.

Rating: 4 / 5

2 Yellow Onions from Dominick's

Item Purchased: 2 Yellow Onions from Dominick's
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.37 + tax

Review: Man, the fresh produce at Dominick's left much to be desired this weekend. Most of the vegetables looked as if they had a lost weekend in Vegas and were recovering in the flower bed. It took me a full three minutes to scrounge through the pitiful pile of tearjerkers today to find two good onions. I don't even like onions enough to warrent thirty seconds of my time, let alone three full minutes. But, I needed onions to make my lunch for the week, so hunt I did.

What I came up with were only good in the relative sense. I hope to god that it wasn't class picture day in the Dominick's produce department, because even these acceptable onions had a wicked case of acne that needed some clearing up under the cold tap.

Rating: 1.75 / 5

Sunrich Naturals Shelled Frozen Edamame (12 oz.)

Item Purchased: Sunrich Naturals Shelled Frozen Edamame (12 oz.)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.60 + tax

Review: Someone told me that the word "edamame" is fancy talk for "soybean." Well, I don't know nothing from nothing, but I do like soy sauce.

I also like these soybeans. Edamame has, of late, been all over the health world as the next miracle food. High in protein, low in oil and a taste that is not as obtrusive as peas. In Japan, when you sit down to order yourself a Budweiser, there is often a complimentary bowl of freshly shelled and salted Edamame on the bar for you to snack on. Many Asian restaurants here in Chicago offer the very same snack as an appetizer for around $5.00 whether you order a Budweiser or not.

Because of the popularity of Edamame (I even have an entire cookbook dedicated to Edamame dishes), those pesky scientists have been hard at work genetically modifying soybeans for the fine folks at Monsanto (people who brought you mad cow disease and other such delights) in order to ensure high crop yields and increased profts so I usually look for something on the package that guarantees the soybeans haven't been messed with.

That's just what you get with Sunrich Naturals. Tasty by themselves or mixed into your stir fry/soup/breakfast scramble or other delights, these soybeans are the tops in my book... even if they are frozen. The price is a bit high, but worth it if you ask me.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Dominick's Butter Quarters Sticks (1 lb.)

Item Purchased: Dominick's Butter Quarters Sticks (1 lb.)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.50 + tax

Review: Like the flat green rectanglular pieces are to a Lego house, butter is to cooking in my own house. Essential, foundational, inspirational... Okay... Maybe not inspirational.

Butter is tasty. Damn margarine and you other solidified oils! You know what protects me from heart disease? Not sitting around watching commercials for oleo that tell me butter will cause heart disease! Eat your heart out, Kevin Trudeau! While you and your readers all die from alkalosis, I'll be smearing great gobs of salted butter on my underarms like deodorant so that when I sweat, I smell like breakfast toast!

(Sorry for that little tirade, someone was just in the bookstore where I work looking for that charlatan's new book)

As for me, I'm no charlatan. I don't honestly know whether butter or margarine is better for you (the scientists have flipped on that one several times during my lifetime). All I know is that butter just makes some things taste better when you cook with it. There is a time and a place for olive oil, but when it comes to breakfast foods such as eggs or potatoes, I prefer a nice thick glob of salted butter. Melted over rice & beans is also an acceptable (and current) option in my book.

Dominick's butter is one of the least expensive brands I have encountered, as well. I was just disappointed that there was no "O" Organics butter option to choose from in order to further my research into store-brand organics. (editor's note: grad students with research papers due should not look toward this study for pointers)

Rating: 3.75 / 5

O Organics Peanut Crunchy Peanut Butter

Item Purchased: O Organics Peanut Crunchy Peanut Butter
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.99 + tax

Review: I'm still on the fence about Dominick's house Organics brand. Half of the items I have purchased have been tasty. The other half have been wastes of money due to the simplicity of preparing those items myself.

This peanut butter sits right on the fence with me. Though the butter and oil in this natural peanut butter is perfectly balanced, the peanuts and peanut chunks sometimes taste stale and are a bit too hard for my preference. Still better than, say, Smucker's natural peanut butter. A bit high-priced for what Dominick's proclaims is an inexpensive alternative for health food lovers. Objectively, though, this isn't a bad price for natural peanut butter and it sure beats the other preservative and sugar stuffed alternatives on the shelf.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Goya Black Beans (15.5 oz. can)

Item Purchased: Goya Black Beans (15.5 oz. can)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.83 + tax

Review: Better than Jewel's Black Beans and not as good as Trader Joe's Black Beans. The price falls in between too. Are black beans the one consumer item where you actually do get what you pay for?

My suggestion? Drain these beans, fry them up with some butter and spices... Maybe some tofu and mix into some brown rice like I did... Enjoy.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Goya Small Red Beans (15.5 oz. can)

Item Purchased: Goya Small Red Beans (15.5 oz. can)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.69 + tax

Review: I would love to have the time to purchases the bags of dry beans to soak and prepare myself, but one step at a time. I purchased these beans (and the black beans) with the sole intention of preparing a very large rice and beans dish to divide and pack for my work lunch each day this week. Of course, because I had to catch up on some work this weekend, I didn't have time to prepare it until today.

Goya has to be one of the best low-cost canned vegetable companies I know of. The water these beans are floating in doesn't smell like embalming fluid and the beans aren't too squishy. Instead, what you get are semi-firm beans that are easy to drain and perfect for mashing, frying, or just popping in your mouth as they are. Still not comparable to fresh legumes, these beans will do in a pinch. And at $0.69, you can't go wrong.

Or can you?

According to the poorly referenced Wikipedia (that all-knowing source of irrefutable knowledge) entry on Goya Foods, in order to procure the most authentic Hispanic foods to Latin America and the U.S., they outsource products from the countries of their origin. Nothing wrong about that if everyone is paid fairly, if you ask me. Goya also supports community and national organizations, taking their corporate and social responsibility seriously. However, Goya's workforce is not paid competitively within the food production industry.

I don't know about you, but I'd pay a few more cents per can to ensure the fair payment of the factory workers canning my beans for me. If there is one group of people you don't fuck around with, it's the people preparing the things you put into your body!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Dominick's Brand Fine Granulated Sugar (4 lb.)

Item Purchased: Dominick's Brand Fine Granulated Sugar (4 lb.)
Location Purchased: Dominick's / 3145 S. Ashland / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.39 + tax

Review: My teeth could probably stand to encounter a whole lot less sugar, but my dentist tells me that coffee doesn't do much in the way of tooth decay. Of course, he means pure coffee and not the milky-sweet supersaturated concoction I prepare each and every morning, afternoon and night.

And that is pretty much the whole purpose of this purchase. I keep sugar on hand to sweeten my number one addiction. A man I know who drinks coffee black introduced me to this additive by leaving it laying around his den of iniquity (he calls it a "kitchen"). I remember being coaxed out of bed by the scent of "the best part of waking up" by this man and seeing him magically awaken like a phoenix rising after sipping the bitter black liquid. It was then I knew that this liquid was an essential part of a successful and productive day. Like a good little naive victim, I partook of the liquid, but needed something to make it go down easier. The white powder called to me from the cupboard and seemed to disappear when sprinkled into the small cup of consciousness. If you can't see it, it won't hurt you, right? From that day forth, the man had me hooked, both to the liquid and the powder. Thanks, Dad!

I prefer raw sugar to the bleached and ground-with-animal-bones type. The problem comes when I look for raw sugar at the Dominick's and can only find boxes of the small, individually wrapped packets. Such a waste! Once they start carrying (or restock) the boxes of loose raw sugar, I'm there, but for now, this sweet bed of passion and decay will have to do.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Raspberry Cheesecake from Eleven City Diner

Item Purchased: Raspberry Cheesecake from Eleven City Diner
Location Purchased: Eleven City Diner / 1112 S. Wabash / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.25 + tax

Review: I know telling people that a food item has the consistency of moist Play-Doh may turn up some sour facial exercises, but that is exactly what I am going to tell you about this slice of cheesecake. Of course, if you like cheesecake as much as this born-and-raised Wisconsinite does, you already know that quality cheesecake is supposed to have the consistency of Play-Doh. Thick, chewy, sweet and slightly sour is just what you get with this dessert order from Eleven City Diner.

Swirled atop and throughout lies a sugary raspberry syrup which isn't exactly fresh, but you won't exactly care after taking one bite. If that isn't enough to assist you on the way to the next scolding from your dentist (where you answer "auahhhh uhhh oghssss!" ("I do floss!")), fear not, because there is extra raspberry syrup in a pool on the plate that does the job of soaking into the airy crunchy crust on the bottom of this cake.

Rating: 4 / 5

From the Unifying Forces department

David Pescovitz over at Boing Boing posts about a new survey that suggests six percent of adults experience compulsive shopping jags that leave them debt-ridden and depressed. The interesting aspect of these findings is that these urges transcend race and gender. Furthermore, most of the afflicted reported their annual incomes to be less than $50,000. Is this proof that more money actually does buy happiness (I don't buy it) or does it suggest that our consumer culture is set up to keep us poor and wanting, falsely believing that the next new toy we buy will be the solution to all of our problems?

(Boing Boing)

If you like, you may want to discuss this in the brand spanking new forums I installed this morning. Among any other things that are on your mind.

Oct. 21st - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ 2 Bags of Dominick's Brand Long Grain Brown Rice (16 oz.) / Morningstar Farms Grillers Vegan Veggie Burgers (4 ct.) / 3 Head of Garlic from Dominick's / Brownberry Whole Grain Classics 12 Grain Bread (24 oz. loaf) from Dominick's (2 for 1 this time) ]

Oct. 20th - Weekly Buy Nothing Day

It's cold out there in the world of credit. Makes you want to stay inside. Makes you want to hide. Me? I'm going to throw open that door as if I were in a 1950s musical, run out of the door singing and feel unencumbered by a wallet or wad of cash (then, I will probably realize that everyone is staring at me like I am some kind of lunatic, light a cigarette and calmly walk on my way).

The thing is, once a week, I actively realize and appreciate that I have everything I need. Food, shelter, friends and even some entertainment. My bike takes me from here to there and the pad of paper and pen in my pocket gives my ideas life. No shopping mall or bar can do that for me.

Try something different this weekend. Buy nothing for one complete day. Just to see if you can. Just to realize how good you have it.

Tofu Fried Rice from Joy Yee

Item Purchased: Tofu Fried Rice from Joy Yee
Location Purchased: Joy Yee's Noodles / 1335 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.50 + tax

Review: Why is it, people assume that someone who orders tofu on something automatically wants a shitload of extra vegetables as well? Hell, I know vegetarians that don't particularly like many vegetables. Sometimes when a person orders tofu, it means that they want tofu. Plain and simple...

Instead of preparing a typical fried rice dish and adding tofu in place of the meat, Joy Yee decided to go all North Korea on me and test out their ultra-packed vegetable fried rice. Stuffed to the breakers with brocoli, baby corn and mushrooms, this dish had me wishing I had ordered the pepper steak that was my first impulse. I don't mind brocoli. I don't mind baby corn. I don't even mind mushrooms when they are doled out in moderation and easy to pick out.

What I do mind is so many pieces of cut up baby corn that you can taste the liquid they were canned in over all of the other spices used in preparing this dish. What I do mind is so many pieces of fungus that there isn't much more room for the tofu I desired. What I do mind is all of the flavor being sucked out of this dish just because someone in the Joy Yee chain of command thinks that vegetarians and tofu lovers enjoy flavorless food.

Strike two, Joy Yee... You know I will forgive you, but jeez! Screwing up fried rice? Come on!

Rating: 2 / 5

From the Jim Skinner Is Lovin' It! department:

McDonald's reported a 15% increase in third-quarter profit. Ronald's growing smile is attributed to new products like a snack-sized chicken wrap and increased demand in Germany, France and Great Britain. No surprise that nothing has been said regarding the increase in employee wages for such a crap job. While CEO Jim Skinner and shareholders may be smiling, I can't help notice that the people behind McDonald's counters rarely are.

(Chicago Business)

Review(s) of Consumatron.com's 1st Annual Revue on Mediatron!

I didn't write it this time... you did! (and you still can!)
Read what others have written about the event last Sunday and submit your own review, photos and videos to be added to the post!
Link

Oct. 19th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Small Costa Rica Coffee from Caribou Coffee ($1.50) / 7-Eleven Smoked Turkey & Jack Cheese Sandwich w/Southwest Mayonnaise / 6 Pack Of Old Style Beer (16 oz. tall boy cans) ]

Note: More crap from 7-Eleven. I only bought it because I decided to stay late at work to finish up some things. See how dedicated I am? Just think of how dedicated I would be if you hired me to write for you! Hell, I'd probably only need a couple of those Old Styles instead of the whole 6-pack!

Oct. 18th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Small Costa Rica Coffee from Caribou Coffee ($1.50) / Chocolate Chip Cookie from Caribou Coffee / American Spirit Regular Filter Cigarettes (Hardpack) ]

Large Pan Style Bacon & Black Olive Pizza from Ricobene's

Item Purchased: Large Pan Style Bacon & Black Olive Pizza from Ricobene's
Location Purchased: Ricobene's Pizzeria / 252 W. 26th St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $17.59 + tax & delivery charge

Review: This wasn't what I had in mind when I said I was planning on doing some grocery shopping so I would have lunches to take with me to work, but it achieves the same result until I recover some of my energy and actually get down to the store.

I'm allowed delivery once in a while, aren't I?

While I hold that Ricobene's has breaded steak sandwiches so good that even vegetarians should try them and pizzas that rank in my top five in Chicago, I have to admit I have some complaints about this one.

As always is the case with Ricobene's Pizza, the crust was slightly buttery and flaky, disintegrating in my mouth just enough to make me think I could swallow, but then making me realize that I had to push it back up to chew it down some more. Double the taste! How lucky! The tomato sauce was slightly sweet, suggesting the use of fresh ingredients and the olives were the tinny canned variety that I love (only canned vegetable I can stomach, actually).

Unfortunately, Ricobene's fails on the swine. Now, I know that ordering a bacon and olive pizza is a disgusting prospect to most people, but hey... It's pizza and anything goes! The problem is that Ricobene's bacon is not the crisp and crunchy type of swine flank that it should be when placed atop a large circular flatbread. Instead, the bacon was fatty, chewy and otherwise unpleasant. This is okay if the bacon is fresh and served with a side of eggs (anyone ever made an egg/breakfast pizza? If yes, send me a recipe), but when placed on lunch or dinner dishes, you are required to "cook the hell" out of it.

So, I have a few lunch portions of soggy pig strips atop an otherwise fantastic pizza for the rest of this week. Maybe this will push me further into the cook-for-the-week mindset I have been trying to instill in myself.

Rating: 2.75 / 5

Small Intelligentsia Berkeley's Blend Coffee from Half & Half

Item Purchased: Small Intelligentsia Berkeley's Blend Coffee from Half & Half
Location Purchased: Half & Half / 1560 N. Damen Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.50 + tax

Review: Wow! I'm amazed that I had the presence of mind to check to see what blend of coffee I was buying this morning. Usually it is just an automatic, "small coffee now" with the fiercest gunk-filled stern stare I can muster (which looks a lot like a sick puppy's stare, in case you were wondering).

While most of Intelligentsia's coffee blends that are dealt by Chicago restaurants and coffee shops are on the dark-because-that's-the-game-you-have-to-play-to-compete-with-Starbucks side, Berkeley's Blend is rather what it claims to be... A medium roasted brew that has a strong flavor and a smooth finish. Sipping this tasty coffee made me let a victorious smirk slip while walking past the deserted Starbucks on the corner of Milwaukee Ave. and Damen.

I might even have to make it out to one of Intelligentsia's store locations to get a bag of these beans!

Rating: 4.25 / 5

From the Chocolate Dipped Oppression department:

Ivory Coast cocoa farmers have gone on strike, highlighting their increasing poverty, low cocoa prices and high export taxes that they all have to deal with. At $0.40/kilo, the export tax on cocoa is primarily used to fund the government's ongoing civil war standoff with the rebel controlled northern region of the country. Farmers are demanding that the export tax be cut by 45-55% and that the market price of cocoa be raised so that they will be able to send their children to school.

The Ivory Coast's cocoa and coffee industries are notorious for their child labor and slavery. Though I usually view fair trade practices as a minimal step-up that appeases guilt-laden misinformed liberals, I think a fair trade is needed in this situation. Not only will a Fair Trade agreement guarantee fair wages, but will also ensure that no forced or abusive child labor is used in the process of satisfying our sweet tooth.

If the strike carries on, we may need to pay a little more for our next bon bon or Twix, but if you ask me, it will be worth it.

(Earth Times and Global Exchange)

Oct. 17th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Coca-Cola Classic Soft Drink (20 oz.) from Caribou Coffee ($1.75) ]

Note: I have very little cash on me today, so I had to use a credit card to buy this bottle of coke. Of all the things to break down and use my credit card on! Luckily for me, my friend Josh bought me lunch.

More Press Than A Gold Coast Laundromat

Big thanks to George Haas from the Daily Southtown for writing a great article about Consumatron.com in the Oct. 13th edition of the paper!

Read the story here: Click.

Thai Green Curry Fried Rice from Joy Yee

Item Purchased: Thai Green Curry Fried Rice from Joy Yee
Location Purchased: Joy Yee's Noodles / 1335 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.50 + tax

Review: Last night at the Consumatron.com 1-Year Anniversary Party, long-time reader and loyal friend of the site, Chris Hajer, reminded me that I was supposed to prepare rice and beans for the upcoming work-week so I could save some money and have an alternative to the limited lunch choices around the bookstore.

Next weekend, Chris! Rice and Beans... Maybe even a fresh baked loaf of bread! This week though, it's the standard crap I eat on a daily basis. Today, however, I decided to make a step toward the reminder by purchasing a rice dish from Joy Yee's. It doesn't exactly save me any money or stand to lower my cholesterol or the sodium content of my person, but it ingrains (get it... grains!... of rice!... ha... oh, nevermind!) the idea of rice dishes in my head for next weekend.

Joy Yee's Thai Green Curry Fried Rice is a tasty dish that will last you for two meals. The curry is subtle at first, but then the heat hits you. Unlike some curried rices, there is no chalky texture or extra hot peppers to obscure the curry flavor. This is a simple dish of rice, bean sprouts, onion, tender chicken pieces and green curry.

My only complaint is that the menu doesn't say anything about the inclusion of chicken. Most of the other rice dishes in the same section of the menu list the meat that is included in them. My girlfriend is vegetarian and a curry lover. I would hate to see her order this dish and be surprised by the carnivorous inclusion. Of course, since she is a vegetarian, she probably encounters this type of thing all of the time and knows better than to order Thai food without asking if it is vegetarian.

Rating: 4 / 5

THANKS FOR A GREAT TIME LAST NIGHT!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Subterranean last night for Consumatron.com's 1st Annual Revue! I think everyone who came out witnessed something they had never seen before and I hope you found it interesting!

An extra special thanks to DJ Oh, Shinobi, Peter Klockau, Charles Blackstone, Dan Solomon, Russell Williamson, Lord of the Yum Yum and Adam Fitz for performing!

An extra extra special thanks to everyone who tried their hand in the raffle! We were able to raise just over $100.00 for 826 Chicago. I'm throwing in $50.00 myself and will be sending off the check later this week.

I won't be reviewing the show due to personal bias, but I urge, encourage and otherwise endorse you all to write up your own review of the show! There are three ways you can do this:

• Edit the Wiki
• Leave a comment on this post.
• Send me your review in an e-mail (consumatron[at]consumatron[dot]com)

Any and all reviews or comments will be collected and published on Mediatron.

Also, if anyone has pictures or video, I'd love to see them!

Finally, if anyone has any interest in holding a similar show, please get in touch. I'm always excited to see different creative scenes coming together to celebrate and collaborate!

Thanks again everyone!
You are all rated 5/5 in my book!
-Kevin

Consumatron.com's 1-Year Anniversary Party is Tonight!

Okay folks. Tonight's the night. I've been planning and stressing and pulling my hair out.

Tonight we celebrate.

More than a celebration of a website or it's one year existence, this is a celebration of the creativity that the Midwest has to offer.
I feel lucky to know these performers and to be able to present them to you all in one place in one night...
...and all for one low price.
The only thing that eclipses my enthusiasm is theirs.
Unless your only interest in life is macrame maskmaking, there will be something for everyone tonight.
I look forward to seeing/meeting you all!

Scheduled to Perform:

-Charles Blackstone (author of The Week You Weren't Here)-
-Dan Solomon (poet and spoken word performer)-
-Russell Williamson (stand up comedian)-
-Lord Of The Yum Yum (one man beat-box/scat orchestra)-
-Adam Fitz (singer/songwriter with more than enough soul in his voice)-

-w/set break silence filled by the sounds of DJ Oh Shinobi-

Also not to be missed:

-Live action cartooning and art booth manned by Peter Klockau-
-Prize raffle/donation drive to benefit 826 Chicago-

All this and more for only $5.00!

-October 15th, 2006-
-Subterranean-
-2011 W. North Ave.-
-Chicago, Illinois-
-Doors open @ 8:00 PM, Festivities @ 8:30 PM-

Weekend Break... See you Sunday, Reviews Return Monday

Party prep is sucking my time this weekend. I'll see you all on Sunday and reviews will return Monday.

Hope all of you are well!

Oct. 12th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ 7-Eleven English Muffin w/Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich / Small Mocha Java Blend Coffee from Caribou Coffee ($1.50) / Bota-Nice Japanese Style Peanuts (3 oz. bag) / Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack) from Citgo/Snappy Convenience Center ($6.85) ]

Totino's Crisp Crust Pepperoni Party Pizza

Item Purchased: Totino's Crisp Crust Pepperoni Party Pizza
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 1350 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.29 + tax

Review: My friend Josh swears by these things, but I just don't get it. Totino's party pizzas (which is an odd name for a pizza so small.. whoever invented these things must not have many friends) are about the size of an average dinner plate. The crust is like an oversized cracker, crispy and devoid of all taste. The cheese, tomato sauce and pepperoni bits scattered atop this thing all taste like powdered tang. Not even the addition of my beloved Old Bay could save this disgusting overpriced convenience food.

I'd rather have a toaster pizza than this sorry excuse for America's most popular dinner.

Rating: 1 / 5

Snyder's Sourdough Nibblers (small bag)

Item Purchased: Snyder's Sourdough Nibblers (small bag)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 1350 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.09 + tax

Review: It's sad to think that this is probably the healthiest thing I have eaten today. I've been extremely busy in and out of work lately, and when I get busy I get lazy with the little things in life... like nutrition or laundry (oh, my underwear!). We all get this way, I think. Some of us get a maid. Some of us have our children do it. Some of us expect our equally busy signifigant other to do it. Some of us just re-wear T-shirts and eat cheap junk food until we emerge through the end of the tunnel victorious.

Guess which one of these personality types I am.

These pretzels are only healthy by comparison and deduction. There is almost nothing but sodium and carbohydrates in these things. Oh, and a little bit of iron. Woody in taste as only pretzels are, these small puffs of bread taste fantastic when dipped in a puddle of yellow mustard. Don't go for those pre-flavored pretzel snack foods that they so violently try to market to us. Get a few pouches of mustard and do the dipping yourself. Simple flavor, simple snack and a simple exercise to try and make yourself feel as if you are preparing food instead of eating whatever is handed to you.

I'm grumpy today, can you tell?

But I still like these pretzels.

Rating: 4 / 5

Black Forest Ham Sandwich on Cracked Wheat w/Mustard Relish from 7-Eleven

Item Purchased: Black Forest Ham Sandwich on Cracked Wheat w/Mustard Relish from 7-Eleven
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 1350 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.99 + tax

Review: This is a slight variation on another sandwich I have purchased from 7-Eleven in the past. This time, instead of cheese, there is a relish-mustard mixture coating the outside of the bread. Though not a big fan of ham....

...no... screw it. I don't want to review another sandwich from 7-Eleven today. I want someone to remind me to throw together something semi-healthy on Sunday afternoons that will last me the entire week. I have some brown rice and spices at home. All I need to do is buy a can of black beans and I'm set. Or, at the very least, I could buy a loaf of bread and some lunch meat and leave it at work. Instead of paying $3.00+ for a mediocre sandwich every day, I could construct one from the ground up for less than a dollar.

I'm all for convenience, but I think we let it overrun our common sense and taste sometimes. How else to you explain the popularization of McDonalds and other fast food establishments? It really doesn't take that long to slap some food together and throw it into a bag before heading to work in the morning (I especially have no excuse. I start work at 12:30PM). It saves you money and saves your stomach. And after saving all of that money, you will be able to splurge on a lunch that is worth the money every once in a while.

It's not bad food, but the thought of eating at 7-Eleven every day makes my stomach turn sometimes.

Rating: 3 / 5

Oct. 11th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Bota-Nice Japanese Style Peanuts (3 oz. bag) / 6 Pack Of Old Style Beer (16 oz. tall boy cans) / Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) on Draft ]

Oatmeal & Raisin Cookie from Caribou Coffee

Item Purchased: Oatmeal & Raisin Cookie from Caribou Coffee
Location Purchased: Caribou Coffee / 1328 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.50 + tax

Review: I am really getting tired of eating the same thing every work day out of my life, so when Caribou introduces another slightly different take on their staples, I jump at the chance to try it.

Unlike the other cookies I have reviewed from Caribou, their old-fashioned sugary oatmeal and raisin cookie doesn't have that lingering mint flavor underneath everything. What you see is what you get here. Sweet chewy oatmealy cookie and a few damp and rubbery raisins that burst under the pressure of your teeth, expelling their gooey innards like a pimple on your medicine cabinet mirror. This is a sweet and welcome lunch-time alternative to my automatic snack purchase.

Of course, with so little affordable choice around here, these oatmeal cookies will also probably become automatic consumerism.

Rating: 4 / 5

Small Columbian Coffee from 7-Eleven

Item Purchased: Small Columbian Coffee from 7-Eleven
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 1350 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.29 + tax

Review: Not only did my tongue taste as if someone had grafted a dirty penny to it after drinking this cup of coffee, but the rest of me felt a bit unfulfilled. See, every day at work, I walk into the Caribou Coffee down the street and get myself a small coffee or beverage. I chat a bit with the baristas (most of whom, have become good friends), order a cup of objectively overpriced coffee and start my day. Occasionally, I will have a smoke with one of the baristas before crawling back to the office. This is all part of my daily ritual of communicating and caffeinating.

Today, Caribou Coffee was closed until mid-afternoon due to a water valve being shut off. Lacking in conversation and caffeine, I decided to do something about one of those things. Oh god, I thought, remembering my last experience with 7-Eleven's coffee. I dreaded the wet cardboard taste.

Even more awkward was the lack of coffee conversation I had become so dependent on. The employees at 7-Eleven and I have a different kind of friendly rapport than I do with my coffee crew. It felt strange to spend an extended time preparing my coffee, getting to know the layout of the preparation table at 7-Eleven and staring over a steaming cup of black liquid at the woman behind the counter. See, I am usually making small talk over a cellophane-wrapped sandwich with factory chicken inside of it or a pack of cigarettes. Never a cup of coffee. It made me wonder how much of my interaction with these people that sell me something is genuine and how much is automatic. If you think about these things too much, you will slowly go mad, so it is a good thing that the taste of the coffee snapped me out of this musing.

7-Eleven's Columbian blend is a far superior coffee to their Exclusive blend. Unfortunately, that doesn't say much. Where the exclusive blend made me want to throw up, the Columbian blend just made me want my Caribou friends back. This coffee tastes like hot water with sugar in it. There is virtually no coffee flavor to it. What little that can be detected is bitter and bland.

7-Eleven, I fear your charm is wearing thin. Convenience is still your strength, but you used to be so inventive and fresh... even if your food wasn't.

Rating: 2 / 5

Oct. 10th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Cajun Chicken Sub w/ Mayo, Swiss Cheese, American Cheese & Lettuce / Planters Seasonuts Heat Peanuts (small tube) ]

Duck Noodle Soup from Joy Yee

Item Purchased: Duck Noodle Soup from Joy Yee
Location Purchased: Joy Yee's Noodles / 1335 S. Halsted St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.95 + tax

Review: I like duckies, but I also like duck. There's something about the tenderness of the meat and the flavor that the thick skin adds to the fowl when you cook it. There are, however, two primary ways that Chinese restaurants prepare duck. The first method is to prepare it like most places prepare chicken. Skinned and boned and cut into small chunks, the duck is ready for you to eat. The second option is to defeather the animal, chop it into strips, bones and all, and drop it into any dish with duck in the title. Unfortunately, Joy Yee's duck noodle soup uses the latter method.

I don't mind picking bones and skin from my meat. It reminds me of what it means to eat meat. I do mind picking skin and bone from pieces of meat that are floating in a fishy soup broth. How am I supposed to enjoy the experience that is soup when I have to stop every other spoonfull and pick duck spine out of my teeth? Much like Joy Yee's won ton soup, you receive a container of plain noodles alongside the soup container. With all of the noodles, broth and bok choy, this is a filling dish for a value price, but the duck meat you get is only a fraction of the total dark parts and, like I said, peeling skin and plucking bones makes for an inconvenient workplace lunch. I'm also not very sure that duck is the best flavor match for Joy Yee's miso broth.

Rating: 2 / 5

Oct. 9th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Small Discovery Blend Coffee from Caribou ]

To Be Reviewed on Mediatron

Item Purchased: CD: Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Location Purchased: Hard Boiled Records & Video / 2010 W. Roscoe / Chicago, IL
Price: $12.99 + tax

Oct. 8th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Small Coffee from Half & Half / Coffee from Earwax Cafe / Seitan Ruben from Earwax Cafe (price was raised to $7.25) / Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack) from 7-Eleven ($7.95) / 1 Gildan Activewear Heavyweight Cotton T-Shirts (Large) ]

Oct. 7th - Weekly Buy Nothing Day

Weekly Buy Nothing Day

Photo via .bandit's Flickr stream.

From the I've Got What You Need! department:

Looking for a way to get the things you need or want without spending so much and without resorting to Walmart? Looking for a way to recycle those old posessions by making sure they will go to someone who will use them instead of sitting in a thrift store for years on end? Try Freecycle.org, a global network of individuals who are dedicated to giving (and getting) stuff for free. I've joined the Chicago chapter and am amazed by the amount of posts the e-mail gets every day.

(Freecycle.org)

BLT Sandwich from Bridgeport Coffee House

Item Purchased: BLT Sandwich from Bridgeport Coffee House
Location Purchased: Bridgeport Coffee House / 3101 S. Morgan St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.25 + tax

Review: I've been living in Bridgeport for two and a half months now. It's about time I check out some of the local businesses here, right?

Bridgeport Coffee House is an unusually bucolic stop along your way through the normal ruckus and sports bar landscape of Bridgeport. The outside is a fairly plain corner storefront with a dark green awning and a few tables for sidewalk seating. The inside is sparse and comfortable with a rotating art exhibit from local artists on the wall, a small electric organ in one corner and a few well worn couches to offset the simple and roomy tables. Bridgeport Coffee House brews their own coffee, offers free Wi-Fi to customers and engages you in conversation as if you were a regular (which I may become).

Their sandwiches are cheap and simple, though don't confuse their simplicity with low quality. Built sub-style, my BLT came with all of the initials and then some to boot. Gardenia, oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning and mustard are just a few of the things added to what would be a bland diner staple when you order your sandwich with everything. This is a lot like a sandwich you would receive at a traditional Italian deli sans all of the fancy meat you can't pronounce. All that and a bag of chips for $4.25! This place is a diamond in the rough. Initially, while moving to the Bridgeport neighborhood, I thought I would have to travel into Pilsen to find an inexpensive, friendly and welcoming cafe to spend my free time. Now, depending on which direction I am going, I have a place just down the street. Even if it is out of my way, Bridgeport Coffee House will be worth the detour.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Sprecher Piper's Scotch Style Ale (4 pk.)

Item Purchased: Sprecher Piper's Scotch Style Ale (4 pk.)
Location Purchased: Viking Village Liquor / 1625 E. Main St. / Reedsburg, WI
Price: $5.99 + tax

Review: Another one bites the dust. Another beautiful 4-pack of Sprecher beer that I brought back from my trip to Wisconsin last month. I've been rationing myself harshly in order to prolong my enjoyment/cravings for my favorite beer. It is with a hung head and sorrowful demeanor that I toss this last bottle into the metaphorical ocean of beerlessness.

Sprecher's Scotch Ale (which was chosen as Chicagoist's beer of the week back in September) is a spicy and complex beer that almost breaks the cardinal rule of balance that I so love in Sprecher's brews. From the initial kick (that is close to the finishing effect of actual Scotch) to the earthy spiced flavor that leaves your palette clean like a hot peppermint tea does, this beer is a hard one to wrap your head around. At 8.3 percent alcohol, this is a sipping beer that goes well with heavier food. There are traces of fruity flavor and bold lines of malt/hops balance that pop. Though similar to Goose Island's Pere Jacques, this ale is not as sweet and is a must for any devout beer lovers who are sick of the standard flavors you get while bar-hopping. I may not miss Milwaukee much, but there will always be Sprecher to bring me back... Even if it is only for a quick pop into a liquor store.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

10 Custom Printed Consumatron.com Value T-Shirts from Cafepress

Item Purchased: 10 Custom Printed Consumatron.com Value T-Shirts from Cafepress
Location Purchased: Cafepress.com
Price: $89.90 + shipping ($8.99 ea.)

Review: The Good: Cafepress.com is probably the fastest online custom clothing/sticker/coffee mug/clock/bag/etc printer out there. Whether you are ordering one t-shirt with your picture on it or 100, the turnaround time for their services is usually less than a week. I wanted some T-shirts to give to the performers at the party next Sunday as well as some to offer up for raffle to benefit 826 Chicago. I ordered 10 shirts of varying sizes with the Consumatron fist and site address on them and what I received look fantastic and are comfortable to boot.

The Bad: As is typical of our modern society, I made a purchase without thinking of the global repercussions it carried with it. The majority of Cafepress.com's T-shirts are Hanes brand shirts. I bought these shirts because they were inexpensive and I am familiar with the great work Cafepress churns out. I also, however, know of the sweatshop labor in Haiti that is the spine of Hanes' business plan. When I realized these shirts were Hanes, I got an itchy dark feeling in my stomach. Cafepress does offer a few sweatshop-free American Apparel shirts for all of your custom printing needs. The prices of those shirts is substantially higher than the Hanes products (especially this "value" shirt). I acted upon price and deadline alone. I wanted shirts. I wanted them quick. I didn't want to pay too much for them.

The Moral Dilemma: Call me a bastard if you must. I may deserve it. After you get that out of your system, though, ask yourself how many of the things you buy on a daily basis are made in a sweatshop or by child labor somewhere across the globe. The coffee cup you drink your morning pick-me-up out of. The plastic wrap used to hold your locally grown organic muffin from the bakery down the street. The photocopied pamphlet that the local anarchist made on a copy machine that was made in a factory somewhere in China. I'm not justifying my actions. I'm not making excuses. I'm simply thinking about the horrible things that our everyday purchases help fund. Sweatshops are such an ingraned part of our society that even the most socially conscious of us don't think about it. I go to thrift shops and recycle posessions when I can, but I also think about these things. And I wonder how much boycotting Hanes would do to decrease sweatshop labor and improve the standard of living for the factory workers in Haiti. It is so easy to forget that our consumer habits sustain disgusting processes already fully in progress.

So I will speak out about these attrocities and admit when I have made a mistake, or even when I fall into the lazy modernity which will make me buy shirts like this again. I don't have the answers and, most of the time, even the most vocal activist doesn't either. But if the dialogue continues and works its way up to the top, maybe something will be done about these things. If we keep trying, and modify our actions little by little, maybe eventually, we will arrive at the world we want. We've got a long way to go and several collective cultural insecurities to get over before we can succeed. That much I know. And the more we dig, the more of these types of global activities will be uncovered... That I am sure of... Unfortunately.

Conflicted and regretfully yours,
Kevin

Rating: 2.5 / 5

(I've added American Apparel shirts to the Consumatron Cafepress store.)

Oct. 6th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ 2 Custom Printed Consumatron Hoodie Sweatshirts / Glaceau Vitamin Water Multi-V (20 oz.) from Bridgeport Coffee House / Brownberry Whole Grain Classics 12 Grain Bread (24 oz. loaf) / Morningstar Farms Grillers Vegan Veggie Burgers (4 ct.) ]

Small Coffee from Grind Coffee Shop

Item Purchased: Small Coffee from Grind Coffee Shop
Location Purchased: The Grind / 4613 N. Lincoln Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.55 + tax

Review: It's amazing that we don't all take a collective first sip of coffee in the morning, pop each eyelid open, maniacally stare at each other and yell "You paid how much for that coffee?!?" It doesn't matter whether you go to a disgusting Starbucks or a fantastic independent coffee shop like The Grind. We are all addicted and pay far too much for our coffee (us coffee drinkers that is). I spend at least $550.00 per year on coffee. That doesn't even include all of the do-it-yourself coffee equipment I have in my home and the bags of beans I buy. If I quit drinking coffee for a few short years, I could pay off my credit card debt with the money I saved...

But I won't... And let's not even mention cigarettes, okay?

The point is, if I am boing to piss away (quite literally... in the end) hundreds of dollars each year, I'd prefer to place those dollars in the coffers of a local neighborhood shop with its own personality and flavor. The Grind has plenty of both. Though small in size, The Grind has a cosy feeling without doubling as a cross-stitch museum. Displaced hipsters sit hunched over laptops, lapping up the free Wi-Fi and reading the liner notes from the new CD they purchased at Laurie's Planet of Sound down the road. The staff is friendly and patient and most of the products they sell are organic. The largest problem with The Grind is their neck-and-neck price comparison with the Starbucks just down the road. I mean, come on! We're pretty dumb for buying our caffeinated drinks at such prices in the first place, but coffee is basically the movie popcorn of today.

The coffee, itself, is a bit on the dark-roast side (at least today it was), but the flavor wasn't horrible after three packets of raw sugar (my latest litmus test for coffee). I don't make it up to Lincoln Square too often, but this is the kind of coffee shop that could make any Chicago neighborhood a better place to wake up.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Oct. 5th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

[ Blueberry Muffin From Caribou ]

Steak Burrito UIC Student Lunch Special from Lalo's

Item Purchased: Steak Burrito UIC Student Lunch Special from Lalo's
Location Purchased: Lalo's / 733 W. Maxwell St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.50 + tax

Review: The achievement I am most proud of from my short stint in college is the paper I wrote on Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill for an honors philosophy class. I waited until the night before it was due to begin the paper and what I turned in the next morning was much like a blog post: A first draft run through a spellcheck. When I got the paper back a few weeks later, I had aced it and the professor (who specialized in moral philosophy and Kant) said that I had given him something new to think about. Some of my friends congratulated me while others accused me of cheating the system.

Today at Lalo's, I must have looked as studious as I once was, because while I was glancing at the menu, the woman working at the counter pointed out that I might want to take advantage of the student lunch special. The special applied for carry out orders only (maybe she just wanted to get rid of me) and included one burrito, one small soft drink and a side of tortilla chips with salsa for only $4.50. Since Lalo's is expensive, I took her up on her offer. She never asked me for a student ID (though, telling people that I am a student of the world has worked in the past) and I even got a basket of chips to munch on while I waited for my order. Bonus!

Fortunately for me, I only had to pay $4.50 for this sorry excuse that Lalo's calls a burrito. I have had better burritos at Chipotle! The steak in this burrito tasted as if it was scraped off of the charcoal in the bottom of a grill that had been sitting outside with the cover off during the last few days of Chicago rain. The rest of the filler, which included lettuce, tomato and rice could have been space food for all I know, because it was flavor-less. Is this really how Lalo's wants to turn college students into regular customers? Are they just selling the worst ingredients to the students because they know college kids will eat anything that is cheap? Is Lalo's unable to pay for a bit of spice to add flavor to their burritos because of the extravagance of the restaurant's interior? Do they secretly hope that everyone who walks through the doors buys a few margaritas (Lalo's claims they are famous for them... never seen that one before) prior to ordering food?

Let's switch philosophers, shall we?

This is not a burrito.

And neither is that thing I ate for lunch today. La Pasadita has three locations within throwing distance of each other. Why can't they move one of them closer to my workplace?

I really hate to slam a place that has such friendly and attentive employees, but I have to. At least the chips and salsa were tasty.

Rating: 0.5 / 5